Irish trainer Philip Fenton had 1kg of anabolic steroids at his stables, court is told

Trainer will be sent for trial in Ireland on Oct 23 as long-running saga heads
for conclusion

More than 2½ years after Irish trainer Philip Fenton was accused of being in possession of banned animal remedies, including anabolic steroids, a date has finally been set for a trial; it will take place at Carrick-on-Suir District Court on Oct 23.

Fenton, 49, a former leading amateur who sprang to prominence as a trainer when Dunguib won the Cheltenham Bumper in 2009, faces eight charges over treatments and medicines found at his yard, South Lodge, near Carrick-on-Suir, Waterford in Tipperary. The discovery was made by Ministry of Agriculture vets during an unannounced search the premises in January 2012.

The find came a year and four months before racing was rocked by the Godolphin steroid scandal, in which trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni was banned for eight years, and is believed to have been linked to a parcel of illegal medication intercepted as it was being imported at Dublin Airport. It was addressed to a vet.

During a brief appearance in court yesterday at Carrick-on-Suir, it was revealed that among the substances found on Fenton’s yard were 1kg of the steroid Nitrotain, a 20ml bottle of another performance enhancing drug Ilium Stanabolic, a counterfeit antibiotic, and various medicines held without prescription.

The case, which has rumbled on through the Irish court system from one adjournment to another, first came to public attention in the middle of February, a month before last season’s Cheltenham Festival and over two years after the initial find.

Although Fenton was cleared by the British Horseracing Authority to run Gold Cup hope Last Instalment and Dunguib at the Festival after BHA staff visited his yard to test the runners, both horses were pulled up. Both have since been retired after recurring injuries.

However before Cheltenham a prominent owner, Barry Connell, decided not to allow Fenton to run The Tullow Tank, a two-time Grade One winner over hurdles last season, until the matter had been cleared up. The horse, which has subsequently moved to Dessie Hughes, is set to go chasing this winter.

Fenton, who has made a good start to this season with nine winners from 46 runners, attended yesterday’s hearing, after which he declined to make any comment. At it the judge, Terence Finn, was told that the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, which is bringing the case, would be calling eight witnesses, some of whom will be travelling from overseas for the trial, which is expected to last one day.

The Irish Turf Club, which licences Fenton, has sent officials to each of the hearings and the BHA is keeping a close eye on the case, although it has little power over a trainer who is licensed in a different jurisdiction.

In June Judge Finn dismissed an application by the defence that the charges were not being correctly brought as regulations had been amended between the date of the inspection and when summonses were issued in October 2013.